Tsuzuki voted to Canada West all-rookie team
UBC Okanagan Heat women’s basketball guard Tsuki Tsuzuki was named to the Canada West all-rookie team on Thursday as the conference announced its basketball all-stars and all-rookies.
Tsuzuki, a native of Calgary, is coming off one of the best rookie seasons in program history as she set new single-season rookie marks for assists and steals in a season. Her 55 assists and 43 steals broke the previous records set by former Heat guard Surprise Munie’s marks of 45 and 37 respectively set back in the 2021-22 campaign.
The 5-6 guard made an immediate impact on the Heat as she grabbed the starting point guard role in training camp and ran with it, starting all 20 games at the position and playing the most minutes of any Heat player at 529.
In her first regular season contest, Tsuzuki dropped 17 points in a Heat victory over Thompson Rivers and would go on to score 10 or more points in eight other games. Her top single-game performance of the year came in the Heat’s final regular season matchup against the Victoria Vikes as she dropped 22 points in UBCO’s record-setting victory.
She would finish the year with 191 points, tied for second-most on the team, while shooting 35.9 percent from the floor and 29.2 percent from three-point range. She would also add 43 rebounds and two blocks.
With her excellent season, Tsuzuki becomes the third member of the Heat to be named a conference all-rookie.
ALL TIME W BASKETBALL CANADA WEST ALL-ROOKIES
2024-25 – Tsuki Tsuzuki
2021-22 – Surprise Munie
2019-20 – Jaeli Ibbetson
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Weststrate recognized as Canada West men’s volleyball first-team all-star
After producing one of the best seasons in team history, UBC Okanagan Heat middle Thys Weststrate was named a Canada West first-team all-star as the conference announced its 2024-25 all-stars and all-rookies on Wednesday.
Weststrate, a native of Kelowna and graduate Kelowna Secondary, finished second in Canada West in both hitting percentage at .451 and blocks per set at 1.16 as he established himself as one of the top middles in the conference.
Those marks also set new team records for both statistical categories, with Weststrate topping the Heat’s previous hitting percentage mark of 0.401 set by Joshua Harvey in 2014-15 and the previous blocks per set mark of 1.11 set by Teo Ardanaz in 2021-22.
"Thys put together an outstanding season and it is a tremendous honor for our program to have him recognized as a Canada West All-Star," commented Heat head coach Scott Koskie. "Thys is a great person who has worked extremely hard to elevate his game and become a top player in this league. We are proud of his efforts this season and congratulate him on this award."
The 6-6 middle was one of the Heat’s top offensive and defensive threats throughout the course of the season in helping UBCO earn their third-ever Canada West playoff berth.
Weststrate recorded 132 kills and 194 points, good for a team-best 3.1 points per set. On the defensive side of the ball, he led the team in blocks with 73, third-best in the conference, while adding 63 digs. He would also record 18 service aces, setting a new career-best mark and the tenth-most in a single season in program history.
In the Heat’s two playoff games, Weststrate would add 14 kills, seven blocks, seven digs and one ace for 19 total points while hitting 0.444 percent.
Thanks to his outstanding play, Weststrate becomes the first member of the Heat to be named a Canada West first-team all-star and is just the third member of the program to be recognized as a conference all-star.
ALL-TIME M VOLLEYBALL CANADA WEST ALL-STARS
2024-25 – Thys Weststrate (1st Team)
2017-18 – Lars Bornemann (2nd Team)
2011-12 – Nate Speijer (2nd Team)
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Boulding named to Canada West all-rookie team
UBC Okanagan Heat outside hitter Olivia Boulding was named to the Canada West all-rookie team on Wednesday as the conference announced its 2024-25 all-stars and all-rookies.
Boulding, a native of Victoria, was among the best players in the conference all season, finishing 11th overall in kills per set at 3.09 and 12th in total kills at 210. Those marks were also second-best among all rookies in Canada West.
After joining the Heat from the University of Montana, where she redshirted her first year, Boulding burst onto the scene for UBCO with a 16-kill performance in her very first regular season match.
She would go on to record 10 or more kills in nine more matches for the Heat, including a season-best 25 kills in a four-set match against the Manitoba Bisons which set a new team-record for most kills in a four-set match and the second-most kills in a game in Heat history. It also earned her a nod as the Canada West women’s volleyball player of the week.
In total for her season, in addition to her kills per set and total kills numbers, Boulding recorded 248.5 points, 3.7 points per set, 148 digs, 24 blocks and 25 aces over 19 matches.
Thanks to her outstanding performance, Boulding becomes the ninth member of the Heat to be named to the conference all-rookie squad.
ALL-TIME W VOLLEYBALL CANADA WEST ALL-ROOKIES
2024-25 – Olivia Boulding
2022-23 – Madison Gardner
2021-22 – Madelyn Hettinga
2019-20 – Amaya Perry
2019-20 – Abigail Dueck
2018-19 – Sydney Grills
2018-19 – Jade Bussard
2016-17 – Sara McCreary
2013-14 – Michelle Jakszuk
